Barcode reader....

Anyone ever used barcode reader in an application? Are all such devices similar (one driver will do the work for all)? What is the overall cost of the cheapest barcode reader? Does anyone know what settings of the COM port does the reader use (i.e. speed, stop bits, etc.) ?

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[italic]: Anyone ever used barcode reader in an application? Are all such devices similar (one driver will do the work for all)? What is the overall cost of the cheapest barcode reader? Does anyone know what settings of the COM port does the reader use (i.e. speed, stop bits, etc.) ?[/italic]

Here's my experience, for what it's worth.

The easiest solution is to get Wavelink's manager. It runs as a server, assigns ip's to wireless readers using DHCP, and you can write code for it in VB, C++, Fox Pro (for some reason), and a few others now I think. It has "widgets" which are objects that it draws on the readers that have a palm/ce like interface. It's not cheap though.... I recall specing for a client around $1200 for the licensing. it's a thin client package.

Otherwise, reading from a COM port on a cheaper scale...You can get a really cheap reader that's nothing more than a keyboard wedge for under $100. It sends the data as a series of numbers but as one keypress. As I've seen you answer questions on here, I'm sure you don't need an explanation on trapping KeyPresses. If you were to do it through a COM port instead, you'd have to trap and append a constant stream from the port, looking for whatever start and stop characters the hardware in question sends. It's not difficult, but it takes more resources on the proc to run, since you'd need a timer event for it.

If anyone else has some different experiences, I'd love to hear about them too.

: [italic]: Anyone ever used barcode reader in an application? Are all such devices similar (one driver will do the work for all)? What is the overall cost of the cheapest barcode reader? Does anyone know what settings of the COM port does the reader use (i.e. speed, stop bits, etc.) ?: [/italic]: : Here's my experience, for what it's worth.: : The easiest solution is to get Wavelink's manager. It runs as a server, assigns ip's to wireless readers using DHCP, and you can write code for it in VB, C++, Fox Pro (for some reason), and a few others now I think. It has "widgets" which are objects that it draws on the readers that have a palm/ce like interface. It's not cheap though.... I recall specing for a client around $1200 for the licensing. it's a thin client package.: : Otherwise, reading from a COM port on a cheaper scale...: You can get a really cheap reader that's nothing more than a keyboard wedge for under $100. It sends the data as a series of numbers but as one keypress. As I've seen you answer questions on here, I'm sure you don't need an explanation on trapping KeyPresses. If you were to do it through a COM port instead, you'd have to trap and append a constant stream from the port, looking for whatever start and stop characters the hardware in question sends. It's not difficult, but it takes more resources on the proc to run, since you'd need a timer event for it.: : If anyone else has some different experiences, I'd love to hear about them too.: : Regards,: Jeff: You can find something less expensive at http://www.taltech.com/TALtech_web/products/winwedge.html

: : [italic]: Anyone ever used barcode reader in an application? Are all such devices similar (one driver will do the work for all)? What is the overall cost of the cheapest barcode reader? Does anyone know what settings of the COM port does the reader use (i.e. speed, stop bits, etc.) ?: : [/italic]: : : : Here's my experience, for what it's worth.: : : : The easiest solution is to get Wavelink's manager. It runs as a server, assigns ip's to wireless readers using DHCP, and you can write code for it in VB, C++, Fox Pro (for some reason), and a few others now I think. It has "widgets" which are objects that it draws on the readers that have a palm/ce like interface. It's not cheap though.... I recall specing for a client around $1200 for the licensing. it's a thin client package.: : : : Otherwise, reading from a COM port on a cheaper scale...: : You can get a really cheap reader that's nothing more than a keyboard wedge for under $100. It sends the data as a series of numbers but as one keypress. As I've seen you answer questions on here, I'm sure you don't need an explanation on trapping KeyPresses. If you were to do it through a COM port instead, you'd have to trap and append a constant stream from the port, looking for whatever start and stop characters the hardware in question sends. It's not difficult, but it takes more resources on the proc to run, since you'd need a timer event for it.: : : : If anyone else has some different experiences, I'd love to hear about them too.: : : : Regards,: : Jeff: : : You can find something less expensive at http://www.taltech.com/TALtech_web/products/winwedge.html: Thanks for your replys (or was it "replies"?), guys! I'll now check that RS232 specification. As I see there is wide range of devices that use it. As for now, I'll search the local market and probably will buy some cheap barcode scanner. By the way.... doesn't the MSCOMM control automatically raise event where there's any data recieved from a device? What do I need the timer for?